This Calgary Design Team Is Running a Massive Fundraising Walk This Weekend—And There’s Still Time to Join

Designer Paul Lavoie will be a familiar name for longtime readers of Western Living. The Calgary designer’s work is a regular feature in our magazine—and in fact his home with husband Doug Lavoie ranked as one of the top 50 designs that inspired us in our 50^th anniversary issue.

But Doug and Paul are working on a very different project this Thanksgiving weekend: they’re running a massive fundraising walk—called The Walk—to support the Calgary Food Bank.

So how did the couple shift from creating beautiful spaces to putting their energy into fundraising? “It all started last year with Doug’s birthday, when he tricked me into doing 50 half marathons in 50 weeks,” designer Paul Lavoie says with a laugh. “About halfway through, we just looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s make this a Food Bank fundraiser.’”

And they quickly found traction in their efforts. “Everyone is so happy to not have to go to a gala,” says Paul. “To find a way to give and not have to go to this big party—and have the gala lose half the money. Everyone really got behind us.”

The fundraiser was so successful, the Food Bank approached the couple after to see what they’d be up for this year. “They told us, you’re our number one third-party donor.” So the couple started thinking about how they could turn their efforts into a broader campaign that would include more Calgarians.

“After that initial fundraise, we raised $140,000, which was fantastic,” says Doug. “And I decided, let’s try it again this year and make it approachable for everyone.”

And that’s where The Walk began. This coming Monday, October 14, participants can walk 7, 14 or 21 kilometres—the latter the equivalent of a half marathon—in a loop along Calgary’s Bow River, starting at the Peace Park (located on the corner of 8th St SW and 2nd Ave SW). It’s free to participate in the walk itself, though walkers are encouraged to consider a monthly donation to the Food Bank. “Our hope is that by signing up, you might have an extra $20, or $100, or whatever you can afford.”

Their efforts have already paid off. With the sponsorship dollars they’ve received thus far, the couple are on track to raise well over $300,000 this year.

They’ve been running practice walks this past summer and fall to help interested folks get comfortable with longer distances—or even to feel that a 7-kilometre walk can be very doable. “We’re trying to make it very approachable and less intimidating for people,” says Doug. “Especially the day of event. The Food Bank will be there as well, and there will be hampers and activities when we can just be thankful on Thanksgiving. The mood is going to be celebratory.”

Interested walkers can find more details at TheWalk.ca sign up at their Eventbrite page, and decide on the day of the walk just how long they’re going to walk for. “The thought was, let’s see how many people we can get together on Thanksgiving to be thankful,” says Doug. “Let’s get shoes and feet together and see if can actually cause a bit of a movement.”